Holy Kingdom – Crossroads (6)

“Here I come.”

Jade charged at Rena while beginning to coat his sword with aura.

Though the barrier made mana usage extremely tricky, it wasn’t completely unusable. He possessed the ‘Hero’s Power’.

“…Ah.”

Despite Jade appearing before her in an instant, Rena merely stared blankly at him without even properly raising her sword.

‘She must be trying to deceive me until the very end.’ To Jade, Rena’s reaction was just another act.

Jade swung his sword toward Rena without stopping his arm.

-Whoosh!

The aura-clad sword surged forward faster than the eye could follow.

“!!”

Only then did Rena seem to regain her senses, hurriedly raising her sword.

-Screech!

Sparks flew as aura-encased blades collided.

“Jade, please just listen for a mome-“

“Looks like you’ve got time to spout nonsense.”

Mid-clash, Jade suddenly slid his sword downward, aiming straight for Rena’s legs.

Rena quickly moved to block the attack.

‘Yes, you’d definitely block this. Which means…’

Anticipating this, Jade’s sword twisted like a serpent, redirecting toward Rena’s right arm.

“Ugh?!”

-Clang!

Though flustered, Rena calmly parried the strike. She hadn’t fully fallen for the feint.

“Hoo…”

Feeling numbness spread through his grip, Jade momentarily retreated.

The flawless, economical movements made him instantly aware of Rena’s skill level through just one exchange.

“…Your swordsmanship remains as impressive as ever.”

“You… you really intended to cut me?”

Rena trembled as she tightly gripped her sword hilt.

Had she failed to block, her right arm would have been severed. She seemed unable to believe Jade would swing at her with such lethal intent.

“Correct. That’s what would’ve happened if you hadn’t blocked. But Rena, we both know you’re skilled enough to stop this level of attack.”

Jade never believed Rena would fall to such a strike. Indeed, her skills remained exactly as he remembered, despite days of imprisonment.

Jade had never once defeated Rena through pure swordsmanship during their sparring sessions.

While he might surpass her in mana-enhanced combat, as a pure swordsman, Rena’s talent outstripped his.

“Rena, you’ve always been more talented than me. That’s why I kept learning swordsmanship from you even after becoming the Hero.”

Memories flashed through Jade’s mind – training together in the academy’s back forest, receiving extra lessons during swordsmanship classes.

After becoming the Hero, their journey to Growburn Village involved intensive mana training under her guidance to become a true Hero.

Thanks to that, he now matched her in mana manipulation.

Rena had been Jade’s friend, comrade, lover… and mentor.

But now that the truth was revealed…

‘Let go of your attachments. End everything here.’

Rena was merely someone to hate and overcome.

“Rena, you know better than anyone that I can’t beat you by holding back.”

This was Jade’s final courtesy toward the mentor who had taught him this very lesson.

“So I’ll fight seriously.”

“Everything you know is fabricated! The Pope and his people are deceiving you! Let’s stop here. It’s not too late.”

“Here I come again.”

“Are you really-“

Rena tried to speak but hastily raised her sword as Jade’s blade flew toward her.

-Clang! Clang! Clang!

The clashing of auras echoed through the chamber.

Jade poured on relentless assaults while Rena gritted her teeth, blocking every strike.

As their stalemate continued, Jade’s frown deepened.

-Screech! Clang! Clang!

After several more exchanges, Jade finally snapped.

“Rena, what are you playing at?”

“Keuk… That’s… what I want… to ask…”

“If this continues, you’ll fail to escape. All your plans will be ruined.”

Jade’s anger stemmed from a simple observation:

Every time he attacked, Rena would parry, dodge, deflect, or block. Not once did she counterattack, focusing solely on defense.

It painted him as the villain and Rena as the wronged victim.

‘Hah… This makes me look like the bad guy.’

The barrier limited his mana reserves. With Rena focused entirely on defense, he couldn’t overpower her.

“Stop wasting time and fight properly. You need to defeat me to escape.”

“Then… stop attacking… and listen!”

Even mid-clash, Rena desperately tried to reason with Jade.

“Ha. Still trying to beguile me? Looking like that?”

The nightflower scent emanating from Rena made Jade nauseous. He wanted to immediately scrub off the dried, pale liquid stuck to her legs.

Yet Rena kept up her act despite knowing everything.

‘Rena, I never knew you could be this vicious and ugly.’

Jade brought his sword down like a judge’s gavel.

Whoosh-Clang!

“Keuk… Stop…”

“Then counterattack already. You know you’ll collapse first if this continues.”

Jade recognized Rena nearing her physical limit – slowing movements, trembling limbs. She must have exhausted herself fighting the holy knights before his arrival.

“If you refuse everything, just surrender. No amount of acting will change my mind. That mage bastard you’re counting on will soon fall to Sir Daniel. Abandon your false hopes.”

“Please! It’s not what you think!”

-Clang!

Another deflection. Jade retreated with his rebounding sword.

‘Not easy.’

He couldn’t breach Rena’s defenses.

Since his swordsmanship foundation came from Rena herself, she anticipated his movements.

Meanwhile, Rena backpedaled to create distance.

“…Jade. Do you truly… truly not trust me at all?”

“Correct. I don’t. You know better than anyone why I can’t.”

“Then were all your whispered promises to me lies?”

-Drip.

Tears streamed down Rena’s cheeks. Seeing this, Jade momentarily froze.

“Hic… Was your love for me so fragile that a few villains’ schemes could shatter it?”

“…Enough.”

“How many times did you swear? To love me forever! To protect me!”

“Shut up now!”

Jade roared violently.

He hated himself for wavering at her pitiful act, and despised Rena for making him feel that way.

“It’s you… not me…”

Rage boiled over. Jade could no longer contain his fury.

“Who played with my heart using lies? Who tore apart my sincere attempts to trust you until the end?”

Every word Rena spoke were things Jade wanted to throw back at her.

The one who trampled his pure love – the love that tried to accept everything – was none other than Rena herself.

Extreme anger made his head burn. Jade took ragged breaths to calm himself.

“Haa, haa…”

“…Fine. I’ll grant your wish.”

Having resolved herself, Rena wiped away her tears.

“Jade, we’re both victims. Now I see how much you’ve suffered. Some blame lies with me too – I grew complacent and made mistakes. I understand why you’d hate and misunderstand me.”

She raised her sword toward Jade.

“But I can’t let things proceed as the Pope plans. If you refuse to listen… I’ll make you capable of hearing me.”

Rena’s aura shifted. Jade finally realized she was preparing to fight seriously.

“Showing your true colors now.”

“I’m merely giving you what you want. Even though you’re acting foolishly… I still love you.”

“You…”

“Jade, my turn now.”

For the first time, Jade saw Rena charging toward him and raised his sword.

-Clang, clang, clang!

“Keuk!”

Jade clumsily blocked the flurry of attacks.

Even as he defended, his swordsman’s instincts marveled at Rena’s technique.

‘Beautiful.’

A swordsmanship he’d always wanted to emulate.

Though Jade’s aura density surpassed hers thanks to the Hero’s Power, Rena compensated through sheer skill.

But.

‘I can win this.’

Clashing blades confirmed Jade’s confidence.

Rena’s swordsmanship hadn’t reached its ‘peak’ nor was it ‘perfect’. Moreover, her stamina neared collapse.

Meanwhile, Jade kept growing stronger – now matching her level rather than being hopelessly outclassed.